Nine-Tailed Fox
by Raven Ruler
Summary: It was quiet. The kind of quiet that shouldn't really be there when two people knew each other so well. The reflection in her coffee was a bit somber than what she was used to. She almost held her breath when Chinami shifted slightly and leaned forward. "Alright. When do we leave?"
1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:** Hi, this is a new account I've made here since I wanted to post content that completely deviated from my other one, and start fresh. I had written this story a while back, and finally decided to post it. Let me know what you think

 **Disclaimer:** I do not own any material from Tokyo Ghoul except for my lovely characters and plot.

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Chapter 1

With eyes the same color of the life force that kept her victims alive, hair like the moonlight that slipped through their red puddles at night. She sat, perched upon a ledge overlooking an alley that stung her nose of dampness and piss. She wasn't there just for the fun of it. No, she was carefully watching her next prey drunkenly take a leak behind one of the dumpsters, having barely even found his way into the alleyway.

It was a situation that was riding on her luck, even though the downside was that the alcohol would taint the taste of his blood and meat, he was easy prey, and she was hungry enough. Simple as that. It always intrigued her when the humans seemed to do such stupid things: like get so wasted or high that they couldn't distinguish left from right. To her, it seemed downright idiotic, and made them even more vulnerable than their weak morality already made them seem.

The air was crisp tonight and the lights of Tokyo danced through the air, creating the pretty illusion of a bright and joyful city, whereas many turned a blind eye to the goings-on of the dark. Sure they watched the news, were well aware of the presence of ghouls, knew the threats and dangers, and saw the occasional blood splatter on a wall or sidewalk.

That's why it tended to baffle her when people, such as this bumbling man, continued to do reckless things without a care in the world.

But then again, it wasn't her place to ponder on the strangeness of her meals. To her, they were split into only two groups. There were the humans who were smart to the ways of the world and managed to get to their homes before six, were generally successful, and were cautious.

The second group was the lambs. Inherently weak, vulnerable, naïve, and ignorant. They were the ones that walked the streets under unlit lamps, got drunk, or pretended they were in a perfect world with no trouble. Those were the ones who were preyed upon. It was also too bad that the CCG happened to be apart of the first group. But then again, she didn't mind a challenge.

Her stomach clenched angrily and she had enough of just watching the behavior of this pathetic sack of meat.

Seizing such an easy opportunity, Hisaya swung her legs out in front of her and let gravity pull the rest of her body towards the fast approaching ground. The impact that shook through her bones barely even felt like a tickle, and she slowly stood up from her crouch.

The drunken man stumbled slightly while trying to look at her. Ironically, she noticed how his form was standing under the moonlight, hers being shrouded in shadows. 'What a perfect scene.' The thought pulled a smirk on her face.

"Eh? Who the hell are you?" His words slurred forth, and she could see he was having trouble just standing there. She saw him squint his eyes, assuming that his gaze was quite blurry, and giving some info on his current state of intoxication.

Hisaya slowly sauntered her way from the dark and into the light, her hair splayed around her shoulders and shimmering in the pale light, making her complexion seem even paler. Right then, in that alleyway, the only color on her that appeared vividly was the red of her eyes. She could see a sort of primal lust overtake the human's face as his gaze raked up and down her body, eliciting a slight chuckle from her. Deep down, all human men were the absolute same.

Admittedly, her sense of dress wasn't conservative by any means, with her black low-cut top, the straps making an 'x' across her chest and hugging her upper body tightly. Over that was her black hooded jacket that stopped mid-torso and unzipped lower than most women would have dared. She wore a pair of ripped black jeans that accentuated her curves nicely, and a pair of shin-high leather boots, perfect for their grip, style, and ease of maneuverability.

As she gazed upon the human with a slightly amused look, she took note of his lust addled, yet slightly panicked, look before it ebbed into fascination. "Woah, your eyes are like—really red. It's almost ghoul like." He laughed off. What a fool. "Why don't you come here and lemme see those ruby's a bit closer." He said as he stared at her chest, rather than her eyes.

How was it that this human couldn't even recognize death itself was standing right in front of him? He even joked about her being a ghoul. Now that was the true joke. It wasn't much fun if her prey was fascinated by her, so she supposed she'd have to change that.

Picking up her swaying saunter once more, she allowed herself to get within two feet of the man whose scent was so enticing and alluring, it drove all her senses mad. Hisaya took a deep inhale and almost lost herself in the pleasure of just imagining his taste. She had way better restraint than that though.

"Rubies, you say?" Hisaya got within several feet of him. She didn't bother wearing her mask tonight, due to knowing that her prey was in a secluded alleyway, on a street not frequented much. The whole situation was so perfect, it sang to her on the midnight breeze. "Well then," she continued, letting her lips ghost over his ear, "do you consider this to be just as pretty too?"

A shape intake of breath was all she needed to hear that made a grin spread on her face. Poised inches from his heart was her ruby-red kagune, a long rinkaku. The fear that was coating every inch of his skin seemed to sober him up pretty good and fast. Which meant her meal wouldn't taste as bad as she had thought.

Just one. Little. Lick. Hisaya shuddered in delight as her tongue caressed his neck, much like a lover would; except the elongated canines that glinted in the light revealed her true purpose.

The guy still hadn't said a word or even screamed when she tore into his shoulder. In fact, she wrapped her tail-like appendage around his mouth and enjoyed her feast, while he was aware of every single bite and slice and cut.

By the time she had finished off most of his upper body, the light was long gone from his dark eyes. Although that was the longest time any human had managed to stay alive while she fed. His ribcage was splayed open as she indulged herself. When was the likely chance she'd have such a good opportunity as this one? Especially with the pack called Aogiri running amuck and making it dangerous for indifferent ghouls like her to simply enjoy a regular meal.

First it had been Rize, the binge eater, then Jason, and now this organization. Some ghouls were just trying to survive, but it seems they couldn't catch a break now could they?

Having had her fill, Hisaya rocked back onto her heels and briefly pondered if the effort of hauling the bloody carcass back to her apartment was plausible. It would definitely prove to be a challenge with the leaking blood. It was while she silently thought, blood dribbling down her chin, when the hairs on the back of her neck prickled. She whipped out her kagune and used it to launch her high into the air, right as a million little crystal shards rained on the spot she was in.

Twisting in the air and landing back on the ground, Hisaya threw her hood up and peered at the other body standing at the alleyway entrance. It's smell was definitely human, along with the faint scent of a ghoul from his quinque. 'Goddamnit, an investigator...just great...' She straightened up, and—still turned sideways, hair framing her face—she slid on the mask from her pocket, saved for surprising circumstances such as these.

The face mask she wore resembled that of a jackle's, with a long narrow snout, tall slender ears with lappets: two large flaps which hung down behind the ears and in front of both shoulders, resembling a pharaoh's headdress. The colors were silver and gold.

Having gotten herself situated, she faced her newest threat. The dove walked slowly, as if trying to gauge her, and stopped short of the shadows. He wordlessly raised her briefcase, and an ukaku kagune erupted, firing off a barrage of crystals again.

Cursing lowly, she deflected a dozen or so with her tail, and summoned another tentacle to swipe out at the man who deftly jumped up and back.

"My my, is that you, Nine-Tailed Fox?" His voice held a lilt to it, suggesting of a sophisticated background.

Hisaya however, kept her features neutral, even though he couldn't see them, and withdrew her rinkaku back behind her. So this dove wasn't a newbie, which meant he had to be familiar with this part of the ward, where she normally hunted. "Not too many investigators are talkative." She gave her own observations. "Mostly because they're dead already."

Then he had the nerve to laugh. He laughed as if she wasn't capable of stringing his intestines on the nearby wall. As if to further catch her off guard, he stepped into the light, revealing short brown hair, and a rugged face with a sharp jawline. Tilting her head a bit, she considered him quite pretty—for a human. "Oh don't worry. I don't doubt your skills at all. I've heard many a tale of you, Fox. Which makes my task all the more important."

The way he was talking, Hisaya couldn't help but feel put off by it. He wasn't in a hurry to attack her, and that confused her greatly. Regardless, she drew out two more kagunes and poised all four sharp tentacles to begin ripping his limbs off. It was also at that exact moment when she realized what had been puzzling her.

"Oh shit!" Keeping her wits about her, she managed to backflip in the nick of time, as a blue surge of electricity rained from somewhere above. And while she was busy avoiding that, the first investigator seized his chance and ran up to her, whacking her entire body into the nearest wall, leaving a few burn marks.

She hissed at the sizzling pain in her side and got up on her feet. How could she have not noticed it before? These dumbasses always traveled in pairs. While he was busy being a chatterbox and dulling her senses, his partner had taken the chance to sneak up on her. In fact, she sniffed the air and locked eyes with the man sitting on a windowsill, a kagune at the ready, that was able to wield electricity.

Thoroughly mad now, Hisaya rammed two of her tails into the wall he was in and drove them upwards, smashing through bricks, mortar, and drywall effortlessly as she cleaved his window perch in two, along with half of the building's wall. She watched as the second investigator yelled while he fell, but unfortunately landed pretty okay.

"Why must you pesky humans interrupt my meal?" The masked Ghoul mused.

The first man aimed his quinque at her again and fired another barrage of crystals, while the other snuck up behind her with his bikaku quinque. She simply laughed at their efforts and dodged all of the projectiles by summoning six kagune at once and forming a shield in front of her while she turned and slammed her foot into the bikaku-wielding man.

The ukaku man suddenly appeared around her defenses, and she whipped out a hidden seventh kagune, bringing it to wrap around his torso, hoisting him into the air. "Alright little birdie. I've had enough time playing with you. I think you've been flying long enough."

Being his final moments, she tilted her mask just a bit so he could see the smirk she wore, before ripping his bottom body from his upper body with three of her tentacles. She disposed of the messy carnage and flicked the blood off her tails. In one blindingly fast movement, Hisaya had the younger investigator caught in her coils, bringing him close to her face.

After witnessing the death of his partner, Hisaya had already heard him drop his quinque. As he drew near, he grimaced in repulsion and fear as he smelled the gore on her breath from her earlier meal. "Hey now, don't look so scared, today's your lucky day. Since you don't pose that much of a threat, I'll let you fly away today." A giddy feeling pulsed through her veins at the smell of his pants leaking. "But do not mistake this one time as mercy. I'm merely doing it for me, so word can get to the right set of ears."

Even through her kagune, it vibrated slightly from the sheer shakiness that this man could not seem to control. She 'tched and rolled her eyes. She just said she'd let him live, so why is acting like a fucking pansy?

She withdrew five of the seven tails, leaving the one holding him, and another free to strike through his leg. Not enough to severe it or label him paralyzed, but so pain would definitely be there. "Most people only hear of my name once. Take your buddy for example. This is his second time. So since this is your first, I'll let you know," Hisaya's pupils remained red while her kakujan just now activated and inky black encompassed the rest of her eye, "I'm the Nine-Tailed Fox." She whispered.

Swinging both of her kagune's around, she whipped him into the crumbled brick wall, rendering him unconscious. She looked at the pulverized body of the first investigator before leaving him for another Ghoul to take. She wasn't greedy by any means, and didn't need more than she could eat. Especially when she didn't even have a freezer.

Hisaya used her two kagunes to propel herself onto one of the low rooftops surrounding the alley. "Until we meet again." Her grin nothing short of feral as her hair truly glowed under the light of that moon. One would almost say she looked serene and peaceful.

Dispersing her kagune, she vanished just as smoothly as a bone-chilling wind picked up.


	2. Chapter 2

TG 2

The apartment the Fox stayed in was the resemblance of every synonym of the word shoddy and more. To say the least, it sucked ass.

But, it was home at least. A place for Hisaya to come and unwind, even if her battle-ready-instincts were always on the go.

Right now, said ghoul was resting, face down, on an old tattered couch. She had been laying there for a better part of the night not really sleeping, but just recovering after her ordeal a couple hours earlier. There was no reason why she couldn't sleep, she just couldn't.

Through one of her dusty windows, Hisaya spied a shadow on one of the rooftops. Squinting her eyes for a better look, she saw that the figure was a bit tall, covered in the dark, and was staring at the city below them. Must be a ghoul.

Paying the ghoul no mind, she rolled over and tried to fall into a fitful sleep.

A scent of wildflowers, coupled with burning. So much burning it could choke an elephant. All she could see was darkness, but she felt the hungry flames lap at her clothes, eager for a taste of skin, just like her own kind so craved. It was an unbearable heat, not like being in the sun for hours, but literally feeling like the witch from Hansel and Gretel were cooking her alive.

Distantly she heard the sound of kagunes ripping and forming and little Hisaya screamed for her mother in the dark. There was no one there that day, the day after that, and now. No one came from her. Not as she left the circle of angry fire and was thrust into the coldest cell ever imaginable. Absolutely nobody there...

A creaky board flung Hisaya out of her dream violently, but she still saw black, her noise burning from the putrid flames, her feet and hands blistering. There was an itch on her scalp and she instinctively tried to pat out the non-existent fire.

Her senses were all criss crossed, she couldn't tell up from down, and she felt sticky with sweat. At the back of her mind, a familiar voice, from a long ago memory, reminded her to lean her head forward and take deep breaths. In...and out….in went the flames….out went the smoke—her eyes widened and her brain was tricked into thinking she was actually choking on smoke, spewing coughs and gags.

'It's not real damnit, it's not real.'

Her gulps for air began to turn into shake breathes, her pounding heart threatening to explode from her chest. It took an even longer time for the putrid smell of burning flesh, and echoing of screams to fully dissipate back into her subconscious.

All traces of the dream had vanished like cool smoke into the night, leaving an even more exhausted Hisaya kneeling on her bed, her hands tightened into fists. 'I fucking hate having that nightmare. Why does my mind feel the need to bring it up..?'

A few more breaths of a chilly night air did wonders for her—somehow—aching lungs. She threw her head back and let her eyes close, actually grateful that the heater didn't work in her shoddy apartment. The air had a crispness that chilled her body and seeped into her bones, but she didn't mind it one bit—actually relishing in the skin-biting cold, anything that was the complete opposite of the hellish inferno she had just endured.

The lack of any noise would normally unnerve anyone, especially with the scene of someone whose silver hair spilled down onto the couch in an image of serenity, whereas her mind was far from it.

"What ungodly time is it?" She mumbled into the air, cracking silence, if only for a second.

Gathering her bearings, she loosed a lengthy breath and clambered out of bed, allowing her feet to hit the frozen wood floor. Regardless of whatever time it was, she wouldn't be able to get back to sleeping anyways.

Hisaya eventually slipped some socks on once the chill became over-effective on her cooling down body. In nothing but her shorts and a loose t-shirt, she padded over towards her kitchen and begun to set her coffee pot brewing. Rather than trying to afford a working freezer, a heater, or even an oven, she had paid the most money she could for a—simple—coffee pot. Because honestly, when one is a ghoul such as her, she had to make absolutely sure she could afford a coffee pot.

By the time she had finished brushing her teeth and washing up, the coffee pot let out a small, shrill, whistle. Giving it time to cool down a bit, she bided a bit of her time by slipping into the same ripped jeans and low top shirt from yesterday, buckling her boots up and swiping on some light makeup.

Her heavily-soled boots pounded lightly against the creaking floor boards as she made her way into the kitchen and poured herself a nice steaming cup of coffee. Black and bitter, the way she preferred it, and was the only way she could drink it for whatever strange reason. The warmth from her cup threatened to sizzle her hands before she blinked once. Twice. And evaded the reapproaching memories.

Giving an irritable sigh, she nestled onto her couch and watched the sun beginning to rise from her living room window. Hisaya took the time to actually enjoy what little bit of her morning that she could, admiring the hues of golds and yellows as the city of Japan begun to wake up. Not that the city ever seemed to sleep anyways. Today was Saturday, which meant she didn't have to work at the mall today. One of the shops she worked at was a well-known clothing store that a lot of humans tended to frequent, and the employee discount was probably the best part of working there. Even though the other employees were human, she didn't bother making friends with them through idle talk. She saw it as pointless, and she tended to scoff when other ghouls did it. It just showed how hard they were trying to fit into a society that clearly rejected them. Which makes it ironic that she works in a place that is prone to have humans galore, and she has to continuously interact with them.

Her cup now empty, she placed it on the coffee table and contemplated on what to do with her day. Even though she liked where she worked well enough—due to her love for clothes—she would have to end up resigning soon. Really soon, with all of this activity happening around the 7th ward.

Since Aogiri Tree decided to rear its ugly head within the past few months and cause unnecessary chaos, it made neutral ghouls like her dangerous to stick around for long in the places that they chose to terrorize. First it was the 11th ward they had seized control of, and then they only continued to spread from there. Hisaya had already had to flee from the 11th ward, and left the 18th ward long before they had even breached that area. Unfortunately, her eyes on the streets seemed to say that they were headed towards the 7th ward.

Some strange happenings had been noticeable, such as dead human bodies left uneaten in alleys, and military cargo attacked. She couldn't tell yet if it was Aogiri's doing, but if it was, she was sure she'd know soon enough. They tended to like making themselves known to both humans and ghouls when they had arrived somewhere. There was no subtly with them, which had her briefly pondering their members.

About three years ago, when Hisaya was walking with a friend, searching for a meal at midnight, she had spied a lone figure shrouded in a white cloak and crouching atop the roof a nearby building. Her and her friend had quickly crouched behind a bush to observe, but was only able to glimpse something blue, before the ghoul—she assumed—sprang away into the dark, quickly followed by several other cloaked and hooded individuals. Hisaya was quick to leave three weeks later.

Just like those three years ago, Hisaya would need to tie up some loose ends. 'Looks like I have a plan for today.'

Her phone read eight-thirty in the morning by the time she had decided to venture out and make some errands. Her silver hair was tied in a loose ponytail, reaching mid-back as opposed to its usual mid-waist length.

The first stop on her list was Arusagi, a coffee shop where her childhood friend (the same one from the 7th ward) was working at. They had both been able to sneak away between the wards together, despite never leaving together, it just so happened that they would end up within the same place. This time, Hisaya would leave alone, and stay alone for good.

The familiar bell rung out as she entered the cafe's warm atmosphere, greeted by a smiling face behind the counter. "Hello, and welcome to Arusagi."

Hisaya gave a small smile towards the girl who she noted was new, and gave a subtle sniff, identifying her as a ghoul, if not a little on the weak side. "Hi, I'm looking for Chinami."

The barista pondered on it for a minute before nodding. "Oh, right. Neyso Chinami." She mused to herself, and Hisaya read her name tag as Aikia. "I'm sorry, I'm new, but I think I know who you're talking about." Aikia seemed flustered and disappeared into the back.

Hisaya shrugged and found a quiet booth seat located near the back corner of the cafe. Her and Chinami usually sat there to discuss things without prying eyes and ears. 'No need to feed the rumour mill.' Even mentioning ghouls around these times was asking for bad news.

Two cups of steaming ebony liquid slid in front of Hisaya's line of view, accompanied by a person. Or rather, a ghoul.

"To what do I owe the appearance of the Fox?" Chinami grinned from behind a hand, her usual teasing look lighting up her face.

Her friend Chinami, a ghoul with hair like blood that matched Hisaya's eyes, and eyes the color of fresh grass, had a flushed look about her face, which suggested the cafe had been busy today. The swirling aroma of fresh coffee beans, steam, and a warmth only found in cafes, bloomed from her lively friend. A contrast to the disheartening news Hisaya had to bore; so why break it so soon.

Hisaya gave a semi-forced smile. "What? I can't just say hi?"

The expression Chinami gave her was somewhere between 'no' and suspicion, which was laughed off as she nudged the second cup of coffee. "Pitch black, just how you like it."

Hisaya gave a nod and sipped gingerly from the piping hot beverage. "Say, do you wanna do something today?" She glanced at the grandfather clock ticking away on the barista counter. "Your shift ends, in like, twenty minutes."

She tried her best to appear nonchalant about the offer and laid back so it didn't seem out of the ordinary, since she wasn't too much a human fan.

Chinami blinked at the request and her expression was unreadable. Hisaya teetered on flinging out an excuse to explain her odd question, but the red haired Ghoul spoke first. "Hisaya? Is everything good?" The look in her eyes also spoke a hidden question. 'News on Kaito?' They read.

She shook her head at the second unasked question. How would she put this? 'Yeah Chinami, lets go shopping, and by the way, I'm skipping town but you can't come.' No... Taking a deep breath, she decided to just wing it. "I'm going to be leaving soon." She said quietly.

It was quiet. The kind of quiet that shouldn't really be there when two people knew each so well. The reflection in her coffee was a bit somber than what she was used to. She almost held her breathe when she heard Chinami shift slightly and leaned forward.

"Alright. When do we leave?"

Now came the big finale. "You're not coming." Hisaya got out, but refused to look at her. The silence was suffocating for both her lungs and her heart.

"I can leave right now, go get packed, and we can be on our way, thirty minutes tops. I—"

"Chinami..."

"—don't need to give a notice to my boss. You know he knows—"

"Chinami..."

"—our situation. Where are we headed this time? Eighth Ward? Fifth Ward? Oh! I have a cousin in the Nineteenth Wa—"

"You are not going!" Hisaya's head snapped up sharply, and she instantly regretted her tone of voice, which drew a couple looks.

Hisaya took a sip from her cup until the other patrons paid them no mind. She wrapped her clammy hands around the now lukewarm mug, painfully dragging her eyes up. "Chinami...I'm sorry, but you can't come."

Her childhood friend, the one who was there for her through thick and thin and vice versa, the friend she'd take a bullet for time and time again, literally. That friend had a pained look and glassy eyes. "Why?" Her voice cracked. "What are you talking about?"

Hisaya guiltily looked back down and bit her lip. This was making out to be a lot harder than she had planned. "Honestly look, you have a lot of things tying you here—"

"Yeah, you!" She pointed out.

Hisaya continued without pause. "—you're thinking about going to college—"

"Yeah, key word is 'thinking.'"

Of all times for Chinami's stubbornness to show, it had to be now...Then again, Hisaya supposed she always knew that even though her friend was more laid back and chill than she was, Chinami was one to stand her ground like an ass (not the offensive kind) if it was something she believed in. Although she did have her common sense, this time appeared to not be one of them.

"Chinami, can you please just listen for five seconds? Look around you. You have a great job at a 'cafe' with people in our situation." Hisaya raised an eyebrow at the emphasis. "They're honestly a better protection than running the streets between wards with an unstable person like me."

Chinami was quiet, oddly so. Hisaya pressed on. "You're studying for entrance exams, and you have a good human friend who'll give you more confidence for interacting in this society."

A few beats of silence passed by, and she dully noted that the coffee was steadily cooling in her hands. "And what about you?" Chinami's voice was soft, like a downy pillow that sucked all words in. Hisaya gritted her teeth nervously, wary of her friend's reaction. "You have a good job at that clothing store. They might not be, ghouls, but it's good pay. You also go to school, and you might avoid the humans but you don't stand out that much either...So why not stay?" She looked up, and the grass in her eyes caught fire. "So what if Aogiri are being shitheads and stirring the pot? We just lay low, eat what we can, and we'll be good. We don't have to run from them forever, they're even looking for us."

It was true though. Ever since that condemned group formed, her and Chinami had been fleeing wards not because they were being hunted, but as a precaution. Because this group...there was something different about this group than the others...they went to the far-extreme that no ghouls had tried to trespass before, and that's excluding the binge eaters. She was just so worried about them attracting too much attention, and getting all the ghouls around them caught up in their dramatic crossfire. And if they continued on this path, how many wards would she have to go through until she could finally settle down? Even if the 24 ward became her last option, she still wouldn't dare it. To go back to the 24 Ward was the same as throwing herself at the feet of the Owl.

Chinami was quiet again; stayed quiet to let the silver haired Ghoul think things through. It was true that Hisaya was enrolled at the nearby secondary school, but she never bothered to attend. The year was coming to a close, and she was sure that she only had a month of class time on her record. That wouldn't fly for college, they wouldn't even hold your admission with numbers like she had. But unlike her thriving friend, she had never planned to go to college.

School was just something she put herself in to avoid to much suspicion amongst the humans. They were peculiar alright. If a kid was regularly outside of school during work hours, it was assumed they were ditching. Then school officers were called, parents, and a whole shitstorm would ensue that Hisaya had absolutely zero intention on dealing with.

She leaned back against the booth and sighed, studying the female across from her. "Fine. Do what you want, it's your future."

All her agreeing earned her was a scowl. "Don't do that. Don't spin it around as if it's all on me. Hisaya, you are all I've known. I know how you like two specs of sugar in your coffee, which side of the bed you sleep on, what music you listen to. It shouldn't be such a shame for me wanting things to stay like that. At least a little while longer."

Hisaya nodded and looked out the window. People were still bundled up in jackets and scarves, their cheeks hued with rosy colors as they bustled along. Her mind snapped back to the conversation. What Chinami didn't know was that some people were made for the street life, and others were meant for better things. Hisaya knew which road she was forced upon by the time she could speak. There was no helping her, one of the two doors was permanently closed, and she didn't need to drag her closest friend into the quicksand with her.

There's something to said about the quote that "what's often the best thing for your loved ones, is also the most painful". Chinami could and would accomplish so much more, Hisaya was sure of it. So while she sat and nodded and planned with her for their departure, together, she was already silently deciding to leave that night. This would be the last time they got the chance to speak like good old friends, because after tonight, if she ever did see Chinami again, she doubted it would be with open arms and warm smiles.

No, someone doesn't get over a betrayal like Hisaya was planning to do. Sure it'd hurt both of them for a long, long time, but she was hoping, that maybe Chinami would appreciate her for what she did. And so Hisaya could at least do one good thing in her wretched life. She mused that her only options of where she eventually end up was either dead, or in Cochlea. She supposed the latter because she knew how the doves longed to get their greasy fingers on her. Not just for her kagune, but to rip her apart and study her repeatedly, as if she some new specimen despite retaining the same makeup as any other ghoul.

She shook herself out of her thoughts when she realized Chinami was trying to get her attention. "Huh? Repeat that again?"

Chinami smiled it off and repeated, "I was just saying, enough with this escape talk. We'll leave tomorrow—" She paused, to see if that point sunk in and Hisaya nodded. "So let's just hang out."

"Um, aren't you in the middle of working right now?"

Chinami waved it off. "It's alright, I'll handle it. Let's just go already." A smile spread across her face, bringing to light her dimples.


End file.
